]]>Today, I want to do something a little different. I read tons of inspirational and self-help books, and it occurred to me you might be interested in them too!

Let me introduce: How Life Works, by Australian best-selling author Andrew Matthews. I’ve spoken about the first book by Matthews, Being Happy!, in the Resources page. How Life Works is the follow-up to it.

I read this book at least once a year, and every time I discover another useful nugget. It feels like the book’s lessons work for each situation in my life that I need to work on. It helped with my anxiety, and it helped focusing on my goals.

How Life Works is about: Why the same things keep happening to youWhy bills come in bunches

It is about:How to find the love of your lifeHow to find the work you loveWhy some people always fall on their feet – and how you can be like them.

How Life Works explains why:It’s not WHAT you knowIt’s not WHO you know

As you might have guessed, the central part of this book is the famous “Law of Attraction”. But, unlike other books on the same subject, this one is filled with concrete examples and illustrations made by the author himself. It’s not just “theory”, it’s practical advice about changing the way you see life and the way you feel on a daily basis. I love the fact that Andrew Matthews seems to have thought about every objection I might have to what he says, because he replies to all of them.

You Get What You Feel

This is the main point of the book: how you feel is creating the reality around you. Have you ever felt angry about a little issue, and then several little issues happened just afterwards? For example you left work stressed and overworked, had someone bumping into you in the street without saying sorry, suffered through a loud group of drunk people in the tube, then arrived home to find out there’s no food left? No? Just me?

Andrew Matthews says that when you feel that life is against you, it is. On the other hand, when you feel happy and lucky, events will rearrange themselves to prove you right. Your feelings create your reality, and not the other way around.

When the Law of Attraction Fails

The Law of Attraction is exactly this: positive or negative thoughts will bring very different experiences in your life. If you visualise what you want, and think about it all the time, eventually the universe will bring it to you. I have witnessed it many times in my life, and you might have too.

But sometimes, no matter how much I wished for something, it didn’t happen. Which is where this book is the most helpful in my opinion. According to Andrews, when the Law of Attraction seems to be broken, it’s usually because:

We chose a goal that didn’t really excite us

We got stuck in “reverse gear” – meaning we focused on LACK

Or we chose goals we didn’t really believe were possible

The book explains each of these points and how they prevent you from “feeling” your goals, and it’s enlightening!

We Are All Connected

The way you feel will not only influence you and the things that happen around you, but will also influence the people around you. The book talks about about an incredible study in Jerusalem where hundreds of people meditated for two months. It resulted in the violence in the whole area decreasing immediately. More incredible: as soon at the study finished, the violence went back to its former (higher) level.

The book contains other examples of this connexion between all of us, pulling data from several studies in various fields.

Success Will Not Make You Happy.

If you are miserable now, chances are you’ll be miserable even if you become successful. We all know examples of famous people who never managed to find happiness, despite their success and their money. Happiness is a muscle that you need to train now, in order to keep it when you become successful.

Furthermore, how you feel is going to greatly influence your success. If you feel good, your “vibration” will attract opportunities and collaborations.

Be Grateful. Live in the Now. Love Yourself

But how exactly do you feel good, if everything sucks right now? There are the three strategies that Andrew Matthews recommends to change your vibration:

Feeling grateful for every little things in life makes you see things differently.

Deciding to be happy now, instead of “when…”, helps you celebrate life and removes anxiety about the future.

Loving yourself. Every experience you have is coloured by how you feel about yourself. So to have good things happening to you, you need to accept yourself.

If you practise these three strategies every day, it will progressively change your outlook on the world and “elevate your vibration”.

In Summary

One of my favourite non-fiction books, from one of my favourite authors. If the concepts of happiness, thoughts and energy interest you, I highly recommend that you read it. And even if you have doubts about the Law of Attraction (perhaps you read stuff like “The Secret”, and didn’t like it?), I would recommend it because it’s much more concrete and less “out there” than most books on the subject.

I hope I convinced you to give this book a try! Don’t hesitate to give me your opinion on it in the comments, or to recommend me books that you think I should read and review!

]]>https://theparttimeartist.com/how-life-works-andrew-matthews/feed/01112Think Wide and Believe in Yourself, with Vicky Brewsterhttps://theparttimeartist.com/think-wide-and-believe-in-yourself-with-vicky-brewster/
https://theparttimeartist.com/think-wide-and-believe-in-yourself-with-vicky-brewster/#respondTue, 21 May 2019 10:21:34 +0000https://theparttimeartist.com/?p=1100Fourth episode of the podcast, with editor Vicky Brewster. We talk about working with writers, building a creative business and dealing with taxes.

Vicky is an editor based in South Wales, UK. She has an accounting background and is currently doing a PhD in English Literature. In today’s show, we talk about building a creative business, dealing with taxes even when it’s painful, and feeling confident about your skills.

]]>https://theparttimeartist.com/think-wide-and-believe-in-yourself-with-vicky-brewster/feed/01100How to Overcome Your Inner Saboteurhttps://theparttimeartist.com/overcome-inner-saboteur/
https://theparttimeartist.com/overcome-inner-saboteur/#respondFri, 10 May 2019 17:25:11 +0000https://theparttimeartist.com/?p=1034The inner saboteur is a voice in your head that prays on your fears and insecurities. This post talks about tactics to identify and fight it.

]]>Today, I want to talk about the little annoying voice in your head that makes your life miserable: the inner saboteur.

It prays on your deepest fears, and it frames situations into the worst possible interpretations. The inner saboteur rains on your successes and feeds on your failures. It ruins your relationships and eats your joy away. If it is too strong, it can lead to depression, anxiety and other issues. I know, I’ve been there.

You probably know what I’m talking about, even if you have a different name for it. Some call it the “critical voice”, or “the judge”. Whatever its name, it’s a pain in the ass, so let’s learn how to fight it!

Not So Inner

I think it’s important first to analyse where these destructive thoughts come from. We always assume that, because we think it, it comes solely from ourselves. But it’s completely wrong! Often, the inner saboteur regurgitate words that we have heard elsewhere.

Let’s take the example of a sentence that my inner saboteur loves to throw at me: “You’ll never be successful”. Is it really coming from me or is this a sentence that I’ve heard over and over, until I internalised it? Don’t get me wrong, this is one of my biggest fears, and I don’t need anyone to tell me this to think it. But an inner saboteur voice is made much stronger if it echoes other people’s voices.

Does your saboteur take the voice of someone you know, someone who is overly critical? Mine does. Some voices will come from your childhood, some will come from traumatic events, some will come from society in general.

This is why you need to surround yourself with a supportive entourage. Otherwise the critics and putdowns from the outside will resonate with your inner critic and paralyse you.

Recognise the Saboteur

This it the most crucial step into fighting your saboteur. You have to identify it in the first place! This is where things get tricky, because your inner saboteur is very clever. It disguises its poison under “rationalisation” or “realism”.

For example, mine tells me to “never rest on my laurels”, meaning never be too happy of a success because it’s arrogant. And the problem is, it passes as “sensible”. Yes, it is sensible to not spend too long celebrating something, because you always have to move and progress. But under the guise of “sensible”, it prevents me from celebrating altogether!

To overcome your inner saboteur, you will need to recognise its patterns and where it’s more likely to appear. Do you over-generalise? Do you project your feelings onto someone else? Do you jump to conclusion? Does your inner dialogue includes words like “always” or “never”? These are all signs that your saboteur is in charge.

Challenge the Saboteur

Now that you know when it’s in charge, you will need to challenge it. Question it. Fact-check it. There are flaws in its reasoning. Prove it wrong! Does you voice say that you are always making a fool of yourself? Bring up an example of a situation where you didn’t make a fool of yourself. Does your voice say that you are a failure? Bring up an example of a success you had.

The problem with challenging your voice is that, as I said earlier, it’s very clever. Most of the time, it will respond to your examples by rationalisations. It will say “but that’s an exception” or “things have changed, you’re not like that anymore”. Logic itself might not be enough.

That’s when separating yourself from your saboteur comes handy. Check out this short video with one of the stars from Rupaul’s Drag Race, who is no stranger to her inner saboteur:

I call my inner saboteur Ralph. It was a suggestion from my therapist, and I must say it’s a great advice. Giving a name to your saboteur allows you to take a distance from it and remove some of its power. You can also engage in a dialogue with it on a more “conscious” level, instead of letting the thoughts circle in your head. I talk to Ralph sometimes, I ask him to calm down, to shut up or to postpone its freakouts until I’m at home.

If you are plagued with a saboteur that is relentless, naming it might help you. Separate yourself from it, see it for what it is: an annoying idiot who should not be allowed too much time.

Select Your Thoughts

Another great technique to overcome your saboteur is to not trigger it in the first place by selecting helpful thoughts. We tend to think that everything that comes out of our head is true, but it’s actually completely wrong. Which means that you can make the decision to entertain constructive thoughts only instead of destructive ones.

You’ll notice that I use the word “constructive” instead of “positive”. Complete and total positivity is usually impossible. You can’t be positive no matter what happens, especially if it’s not your natural personality. Your mind will reject it. When I say constructive thoughts, I mean “thoughts that will help me move forward”. For example, let’s say that you are preparing to release a book:

Constructive thought: “Now it’s time to learn marketing to ensure this book is a success” – it’s open, it’s a strategy, and it’s believable.

It’s a mental exercise that is very difficult at the beginning, because it feels fake. Your saboteur will probably remind you every step of the way that you are deluding yourself. But if you do it systematically, you’ll notice a shift in your thought patterns. You won’t trigger the saboteur as often as you used to, because it has nothing to “grab”.

Be Kind to Yourself

Despite all these tactics, there will be days where you saboteur is just too strong for you. It still happens to me on occasions. Sometimes, no matter what you do, you are just having a bad day and nothing will change that.

That’s when you need to be extra nice to yourself. Watch something that makes you laugh. Read a good book instead of doing chores. Have a hot chocolate and stay in bed for another 15 minutes. I know you probably have a lot of responsibilities, but it’s crucial that you are kind to yourself on days where your saboteur is too powerful to counter.

Think of it this way: if you have a cold, you might still have to go to work but you will probably try to avoid doing activities that are too hard. You might eat healthy food and you’ll go to bed as soon as you get home. It’s the same if you have a “saboteur illness”. Bad mental health days are a real thing, even if they are not recognised by society.

Prepare a strategy when you have such a day. You could leave work early. You could go and sit in a coffee place alone to get some peaceful time. You could watch the series that always makes you feel better, or eat your favourite meal. The important part is to be nice to yourself until the storm passes.

And if your inner saboteur tells you that you are “too indulgent” or “a drama queen” because of this, let it be. It’s wrong. It’s stupid. It’s ignorant.

Don’t Let Your Saboteur Win!

Your inner saboteur will never leave you. You will have to cohabitate with its voice for the rest of your life. However, it can be a small, frightened voice in the corner of your mind, or it can be the showman at the forefront of your fears. Only you can decide and fight back. And I hope that with this article I gave you enough tactics to push back.

And don’t forget that you can get help if your inner voice is trying to harm you. You don’t need to be alone with these thoughts, there are people who can listen and help you.

Are you plagued with an inner saboteur? How do you deal with it? Has it taken its toll on your life? Let me know in the comments below!

ANNOUNCEMENT

Do you want to write for the blog? I am now accepting guest writers for The Part-Time Artist! Do you have ideas of articles that you’d like to write? Use the contact form to let me know!

Please mention your idea(s), how it would benefit the audience of The Part-Time Artist, and what your writing experience is. If I decide to work with you, I’ll credit you and add your website and/or chosen links at the end of the article.

]]>It’s already episode 3! Thank you so much for your continued support for the podcast, it’s been great! I am experimenting new things when it comes to hosting, and I hope it worked.

Alright, let’s get on with the show. Let me me introduce my guest for this week: Juan Carlos Porcel.

Juan Carlos makes video games, comic books and replicas. He is also an art teacher, and a prolific Youtuber. In today’s show, we talk about using art as a therapy, teaching to young students, finding the things that inspire you and changing society’s perception of art.

]]>As you might know, I am slowly developing The Part-Time Artist on different media. And recently, I’ve started a Youtube channel! So today’s blog post features a video, where I talk about how I organised my schedule when I had a day job, and how I organise my time now that I don’t have one.

Part-Time Artist Schedule

I used to work in a theatre. Most of my shifts were in the evening, so I tried to do most of the writing before going to work. I got up around 9-10AM (I’m not an early riser!). I would start to write at around 12. And then I would go to work around 2-4PM (depending on my shifts starting time).

My schedule would depend on if I had a deadline or not. For example, if I was doing NaNoWrimo, that meant that I had a lot of writing to get done every day. Usually I had to free at least 2 hours per day for writing, which is a lot. I would get up earlier, do less chores and see friends less often.

My shifts lasted until 22.30, so when I came back home (roughly an hour later) I would not write most of the time. I would still go on social media and reply to interactions that happened when I was at work. Unless it was something like NaNoWrimo and I had to write (until probably 1-2AM).

If I had a double shift at work, I would probably not have time to write but I would always try to do something related to my art. For example go on social media or work on my website. Something, anything, to feel like my day wasn’t wasted at work.

Full-Time Artist Schedule

I quit my job in January, and at first I thought I would have a hard time scheduling my work. I feared that I would treat it as a holiday. But it turns out that I’m very busy with the Part-Time Artist, and much more productive. The Part-Time Artist has become a multi-media business, with a book, a website, a podcast and a Youtube channel, which means that I have a lot of work!

The weird thing is that I have kept pretty much the same rhythm than when I was working. I’m still a night owl, which means that I do most of my work from early afternoon until quite late at night (10-11PM, sometimes even midnight!). I usually start at the same time as when I was working, so it’s like the habit that I built a long time ago is still there. I don’t want to change it because it works for me. I’m convinced that you have to find your own rhythm and stick to it.

I usually start with something quite easy. I’m currently learning Norwegian, so I start my day with a couple of lessons on Duolinguo. And then I get rid of the most annoying things first: applying to freelance jobs, banking stuff, admin…

Then I start working on The Part-Time Artist related stuff. I try to start with the activities that take the most brain power: blog post writing, podcast recording, video shooting. Then I go into things like editing, working on the website, less difficult activities. And then I finish the day with the easiest things: social media or image editing for example.

In Conclusion

When you quit your job, your life completely changes. But building good habits while you are employed is a massive help when you become a full-time artist, as these habits ensure that you stay productive and motivated.

]]>https://theparttimeartist.com/schedule-part-time-full-time-artist/feed/010148 Things That Happen When You Quit Your Day Jobhttps://theparttimeartist.com/8-things-that-happen-when-you-quit-your-day-job/
https://theparttimeartist.com/8-things-that-happen-when-you-quit-your-day-job/#commentsTue, 30 Apr 2019 13:01:56 +0000https://theparttimeartist.com/?p=1001When you quit your job to become a full-time artist, there are unexpected consequences. This article talks about them, positive or negative.

]]>I made the decision to quit my full-time job over three months ago. I was not happy at work and I wanted to give myself a chance to launch The Part-Time Artist business. In my book, I explain the pros and cons and why I didn’t follow my original plan (I intended of quitting in June instead of January). I thought that working from home was going to be like a long holiday, but it turned out to be quite different.

These past months, I’ve discovered some consequences of this decision. Some positive, some negative, most of them completely unexpected. And I thought that it would be interesting to make an article about this.

So here are some things that happen when you quit your day job to become a full-time artist.

You Get Lonely

I knew this was a risk when working from home, and it did happen to me. The transition between my busy day job and staying at home all the time was difficult because I suddenly felt completely alone. I’m lucky that I have a partner who also works from home, otherwise I would have spent days seeing and talking to nobody, and it would have been worse. Loneliness is a problem for many entrepreneurs, especially if you are an extrovert like I am.

But fear not! The best thing you can do to make this transition smoother is to have a plan. Make a list of people you can see when you feel too lonely. Work in a public space from time to time. Use Skype to speak with people far away. Keep hobbies that will put you in contact with people.

The good thing is that the transition only lasted for 1-2 months. Now, I’m much more used to staying at home and seeing less people than I used to. You get used to a more quiet life with less interactions. I still have bouts of loneliness, but I now know what to do if I feel like that.

You Don’t Know Which Day It Is

Recently I Skyped with a friend from Belgium and she mentioned her plans for Easter. I was blown away! I totally didn’t realise that it was Easter! When you work from home, you miss the usual cues and social rhythms that other people get from being at work.

Weekends are not really a thing either. I try to have my Sundays off for my own sanity, but otherwise they are days like any other. Weeks tend to pass much quicker than when I was working too. In general, I don’t know which date it is. It’s weird!

Your Home Gets Dirty Quicker

Now, this is annoying! Since you spend much more time at home, that means that your home gets so much dirtier! I’m not even kidding. Dishes pile up twice as fast as they used to, it seems. And I need to clean my desk much more regularly.

The counterpart to this is that I need to do much less laundry: no uniform to wear, no “double wardrobe” (one for home, one for work). So it’s not all bad!

You Gain Weight

This might be just me. My day job used to be very active. I used to go up and down stairs all day long, because I was working in a theatre. I was getting A LOT of exercise on a daily basis.

And now, the most walking I get is between my bedroom and my desk. As a result: I gained weight. While I never had to exercise for weight reasons before, I now have to make time for it regularly.

You Can Plan

Holidays, conferences, getaways, birthdays… With my job, I could never plan anything because I worked random shifts, including weekends. And going on holiday for more than a week was discouraged. This has completely changed now that I work from home!

I have recently booked a 2-week travel for the first time in years. I’ll take my laptop with me because I’ll still have to update the blog and the podcast, but I love the freedom of being able to work from anywhere. I can say yes to invitations most of the time, without having to wait until my shifts are communicated to me. I organise my work around my other activities, instead of the other way around. As a result, I feel like I have a better balance in my life.

You Worry About Money – A LOT…

This is the BIG hurdle for me, because I’m currently not making enough money to survive with The Part-Time Artist. Of course, I had planned for this, with a consequent amount of savings. I am also soon starting a casual job, and I am getting more freelance work. So I’m not in a bad situation, but it doesn’t prevent me from worrying. A lot. All the time.

It is very hard, I’m not going to lie. If you decide to become an entrepreneur, you have to expect that money is going to be a worry, at least at first. And this stress is very difficult to alleviate. I sometimes panic and find myself searching for a full-time job on LinkedIn, before reminding myself that I still have time. I might have to go back to working full-time at some point, but only if I have no other choice.

… But in General, You’re Less Stressed!

Aside from money stress, other stresses are much reduced! There again, it took me time to fully relax. My job was so stressful by the end that I had developed several health issues, and they didn’t go away immediately. Stress had a bad impact on my mood, on my body and on my relationships. It took a long time to feel safe and less “on edge”.

Nowadays, I’m much more relaxed and happy. It’s like waking up after a long sleep where I didn’t feel like I was acting like myself. I laugh a lot, I have tons of ideas and I feel much more creative. Even my anxiety has decreased!

Your Productivity Increases

When I quit my job, I was worried that I was going to spend days doing nothing. That I was not going to be able to motivate myself to work every day, when the TV and the bed were in the same room. Well, I was wrong! It only took a couple of weeks to get used to the new work rhythm. And now I can say that I am much more productive than I was at work.

When I’m at home, I’m not constantly interrupted like I was at work. I also don’t need to deal with commute and I can work during that time instead. And I am SO passionate about what I’m doing that I sometimes have to stop myself because it’s midnight and I really need to go to bed. Otherwise I would work all night long!

Do you want to quit your job? What are your expectations? Or did you quit your job recently? Let me know in the comments!

]]>https://theparttimeartist.com/8-things-that-happen-when-you-quit-your-day-job/feed/21001How to Start a Podcast on a (Very) Low Budgethttps://theparttimeartist.com/how-to-start-podcast-low-budget/
https://theparttimeartist.com/how-to-start-podcast-low-budget/#respondFri, 26 Apr 2019 12:21:09 +0000https://theparttimeartist.com/?p=966Creating a podcast is not as expensive as you think! From microphone to hosting, here are solutions to start a podcast on a small budget.

]]>As many of you already know, I have recently started my own podcast, with 2 episodes currently available. Being a podcast host is something I’ve dreamed of for several years. I used to be a radio presenter and programmer when I was at university, and lately I’ve been aching to go back to these roots.

So far, it’s going very well, and I’m having a great time. And it occured to me that some of you might be tempted to do the same!

I know from experience that when you start researching “how to start a podcast”, you get thousands of links and most of them are not very helpful. There’s often too much information, and they usually imply that you have to spend a lot more than you can afford at the beginning.

So today, I’ve decided to write an article that will show you everything I did to start my podcast, and the EXACT amount of money I’ve paid. The equipment and softwares I use are not necessarily the most professional, but they allow me to get a decent quality for a newbie.

Note: Some of the links are affiliate links. As usual, I only recommend products that I use and love.

Equipment

To start a podcast, you will need a microphone. Preferably, not your computer’s microphone. Professionals use XLR microphones, but I couldn’t afford them. So instead, I chose to go with USB microphones. I researched Amazon for several days, read a lot of blog posts about different models, and finally settled on one:

It’s the Alvoxcon Unidirectional Condenser USB microphone for computers (click on the image to see it on Amazon).

I LOVE this microphone. I love it so much, actually, that I bought two: one for me, and one for guests. The quality is great for the price, it’s directional enough that it doesn’t pick up too much noise, and it makes it simple to clean the background in post-production. It’s super easy to set up, and to transport. It comes with a bonnette that covers some parasite sounds and a small tripod. Using it is easy, it’s just plug and play!

Budget: I paid £26.99 per microphone (although like everything on Amazon, the price varies), so £53.98 (around $69). By far, my biggest expense, but still much less than what an XLR microphone would have cost me.

Upgrade: I’m considering buying a filter to place in front of the microphone to reduce “mouth noises” like clicking sounds. In the future, I’ll upgrade to a proper XLR microphone and mixer system, but only if I can pay for it with sponsors / Patreon supports.

Studio

I record all episodes in my bedroom. I don’t have a proper studio but it’s the quietest room in my small flat. Some of you might want to try the bathroom, as the acoustics might be better there.

Considering that I’m not in a professional radio studio, I’ve decided to build a “diffusion panel” to avoid problems like echoing. I couldn’t really glue foam to the walls because I’m renting (and also it’s ugly!) so I built a temporary panel out of carton, foam and glue. Here’s how I did it:

Material:

A set of acoustic foam tiles, such as these ones:

Scissors to cut the tiles to the right dimensions.

Glue spray, such as this one

Carton box

Duct tape

I opened the box flat and glued the foam panels on it, being careful to leave room for folding the panel. As you can see, I measured the tiles and cut some of them to fit the area of the carton that I needed to be covered. The bottom is not covered, as it will be the base of the panel.

Once dry, the panel is attached in position with duct tape.

And when I don’t use it, the panel is foldable and doesn’t take too much space.

Budget: The foam costed me £16.99 for 10 tiles. The glue was £4.95. I already had duct tape, and used the box that the foam came it (Amazon is practical that way!). Total cost: £21.94 (around $28).

Upgrade: Not sure yet. The best solution would be to have a house where a full room is dedicated to recording, but it’s not possible right now. Perhaps more panels?

Music

The intro, outro and transitions of the podcast all use the same music. I use a website called TeknoAXE, and the song is Shuffle Through the Night.

All songs on this website are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which means that I can use them for free for the podcast. Don’t make the mistake to use copyrighted music for your podcast, or you might get in trouble!

I highly encourage you to search “royalty free” music on Google if you are looking for a music for your podcast.

Budget: £0!

Upgrade: I would love to collaborate with a musician to make an original music for the podcast. Perhaps for season 2?

Software

I mainly use three softwares to do the podcast:

Audacity: it’s an open source sound editing software, and it’s FREE! I am honestly amazed at the fact that this software is still free, because it’s so powerful! I record directly on it, I clean the noise, and I edit the episodes together, all that in one software. Of course, it’s not as advanced as something like Adobe Audition, but it’s still awesome! If you start a podcast, this is THE software you need.

Skype: oh, the good old Skype! It’s the simplest and most widely used tool to communicate with guests who don’t live near you. Of course, it’s far from perfect and can cause issues, but most of the time your guests will already have it and it will avoid them having to install something new. And it’s free too!

Piezo: I use this software to record my Skype conversations. It’s easy to use and so far I’ve found it reliable. Piezo is not free but you can try it for 10 minutes and decide if the quality is good enough for you. It’s only available on Mac, but I’m pretty sure there are excellent alternatives for PC too. (Note: you can already record conversations in Skype, but the audio is mixed together, which means that the quality is pretty poor. In my opinion, you need something better!)

Budget: the licence for Piezo costs £18.20 ($22.80).

Upgrade: I would love to use Adobe Audition, but the fact that you have to pay every month (as opposed to just buy the software) is a big deterrent for me. I’m thinking about replacing Skype with Zoom at some point, so I can also record the video.

Design

To start a podcast, you will need at least one artwork. You have probably seen mine several times:

I used one of the illustrations that was originally made for my book, by Juan Carlos Porcel. The background is an image that I found on a website called Pexels, where a lot of artists post free stock photos. The font is called Tryst, and it’s free for commercial use.

To edit all this together, I use the free image manipulation program Gimp. This software is THE one you need to use if you can’t afford Photoshop. It’s a little complicated to understand at first, but now I use it all the time for many different projects.

Budget: £0!

Upgrade: I really love this artwork, so I don’t plan on upgrading it any time soon.

Hosting

This is something that I was not aware when I started my podcast: you can’t host the episodes on your own website. You need a hosting that has enough bandwidth to allow several people to listen to the episodes at the same time.

After researching several solutions, I’ve decided to use Buzzsprout, and I chose at first the free plan. The free plan is however limited and adds adverts to your episodes, so I immediately upgraded to their cheapest plan ($12 per month, around £9). With that plan, I can upload up to 3 hours of content per month, and the podcast is hosted indefinitely.

Buzzsprout has a feature that allows you to upload your podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google (if you are in the US or Canada), Stitcher and Alexa. I have also used their support service because I had a minor problem with the first episode, and they responded within an hour. In addition to hosting your podcast, they also offer solutions to share it, such as players that can be embed on your blog, and a dedicated website for your podcast.

So far, I’m SUPER happy with this hosting, and I’m looking forward to unlocking some features like statistics and audience (you need to have 3 episodes uploaded before analytics can be produced).

Thinking about using Buzzsprout too? I have GREAT NEWS for you! If you subscribe to one of their paid plans for 2 months by clicking on this personal referral link, we will both get a $20 Amazon.com gift card!

Budget: £9 per month ($12).

Upgrade: Right now, I don’t feel like I need to upgrade to a better plan yet. If the podcast becomes a weekly one, I might need more storage.

TOTAL BUDGET

In total, I paid £103.12 ($133) to get this podcast running for the first month (April 2019). You can reduce it to £58 ($75) if you don’t have any guest. I think it’s not bad at all!

]]>https://theparttimeartist.com/how-to-start-podcast-low-budget/feed/0966Never Stop Learning, with Lauren Shieldshttps://theparttimeartist.com/never-stop-learning-with-lauren-shields/
https://theparttimeartist.com/never-stop-learning-with-lauren-shields/#respondTue, 23 Apr 2019 09:03:54 +0000https://theparttimeartist.com/?p=950Second episode of the podcast, with Lauren Shields. We talk about organising your time, inspiration and taking a different path.

Thank you so much for your nice comments after the first episode! It motivated me even more to record the second one and improve myself. This time, I was a little more relaxed, especially for the introduction part, and I think the result is much more natural. In any case, I’m having fun learning and doing this podcast, so it’s the most important!

Lauren is a singer and performer, and she’s one half of the cabaret duo The Diva List. She produces her own shows, and she juggles her singing activities with a busy day job. She was one of the contributors for the book, and has inspired my own routines and time management systems.

]]>Guys, I’m going to be honest. I’m having one of those days where I’d rather do anything else than writing this blog post. I just want to watch Netflix, or play Minecraft. Or go outside and enjoy the sun. But here I am, at my desk, typing this article on my computer, because I need to post today.

Having a lazy day is not a bad thing. Sometimes you just need a break. But when you have a deadline, it’s a little more complicated than that. So I thought that today I would talk about my strategies to motivate myself even when I don’t feel like it.

Tidy Up

That’s usually my go-to activity if I feel lazy or overwhelmed. Tidying up the flat, even for a few minutes, helps clear my head. Taking a shower helps too, as well as finishing a quick chore like washing the dishes or starting a laundry.

It works on two levels:

It clears the surroundings of any distractions. Often, I feel lazy because I see all the stuff that needs to be done and it feels too overwhelming to start. Clearing the workspace helps me concentrate on what I have to do.

It sets your body in motion and gets the flow of energy going. Going around my place and picking up stuff allows me to gently start moving and feel productive.

Cut Down Social Media

There is nothing worse for your productivity than jumping from one social platform to another. I know it’s alluring to quickly check what’s new on Twitter or who posted stories on Instagram. But social media has the side effect that it will keep you in a “not doing” state. It can give you the illusion of moving, but you are not actually productive.

Social media is also bad in a sense that it puts your laziness in perspective with other people’s productivity. You see photos and status of people who go out and do stuff, and it makes you feel even worse about your current situation. And usually, it has the vicious effect of keeping you in an inactive mindset, because you are already defeated by other people’s results.

Trust me, if you are having a lazy day, close all social media apps and tabs.

Start With an Easy Win

OK, you managed to drag yourself to your workstation. Congratulations! Now, let’s not ruin what must have cost you all the shreds of motivation you had left with a task that will make you feel miserable.

Instead, start with something that can be accomplished quickly and will make you feel good afterwards. It might be writing an email, or do a quick sketch. For example, I start my work sessions every day with a couple of lessons on Duolinguo. I am currently learning Norwegian, and doing 2 lessons takes me 5 minutes. After I’ve completed them, I feel like a winner!

Make the habit of starting your day with something that doesn’t take long and that you can quickly achieve. It will give you a boost for the rest.

One Thing at the Time

Now that you’ve had your first win, you can start the serious work. But there again, avoid the classic mistake of overwhelming yourself with all the things that you have to do! Make a list and take each item one by one.

You don’t have to waste your energy thinking about something until you reach it on your list. Just think about the current task, and that’s it. It will reduce your chances of feeling discouraged and going back to the couch.

In general, making a list of the things you have to do and ticking them as you go is a good motivator. I’m a very visual person, and frankly I would forget half the things I need to do if they weren’t written on a post-it in front of me!

Use the Pomodoro Technique

Does working on your projects still feel like pulling a teeth? Then do it for a short time only! The Pomodoro Technique is super popular with writers, especially when it comes to writing first drafts. I’ve seen it called different names, such as “word sprints”, and it’s the method that I’ve used to write both my novel and my book.

The idea is super simple: you get a timer and you do an activity for a certain amount of time (for example 25 minutes). During that time, you are focused on the task and are allowed no distraction. Then, when the timer reaches 0, you take a break. I’ve found that doing these “sprints” helped me tremendously because I didn’t have to contemplate hours of work in front of me. I just concentrated on the 25 minutes, and that was it.

Find a Pusher!

Building on this, it is much easier to motivate yourself if you have an accountability partner. I cannot count the number of times when I felt like doing nothing, but was quickly reminded of my goals by my partner. He’s an artist too, and he accomplishes a lot. Seeing him working hard every day makes me want to work hard too. (Check out his website, he’s an awesomely talented guy!)

Find one or two people who will push you when you are feeling lazy. They could be members of your family or people from the internet. And they should be able to recognise days where you need to be pushed from days where you just need a break. It’s a delicate balance, and I’ve met accountability partners before who were either not helping much, or being too intrusive. But if you find someone helpful, make sure you keep them!

Reward Yourself

Rewarding yourself is never more important than when you have had such a hard time forcing yourself to work in the first place. You need to think in the long term: if you don’t reward yourself this time, next time the same techniques probably won’t work. You can’t trick your brain for too long before it sends you to hell.

Find appropriate rewards, either when you finish each task or at the end of the day. It can be a cup of coffee, a square of chocolate, a Youtube video, a walk outside, anything that will celebrate what you have just accomplished.

Make it worth it! You’ve done a good job, and it wasn’t easy. Acknowledge it: you’re a badass!

In Conclusion

Having a lazy day is not the end of the world. But if you have already a limited time to practise your art, you can’t afford to lose it. I hope that these techniques will help you be more productive and will prove that it is possible to beat the lazy feeling.

As usual, don’t hesitate to comment below if you have good techniques to motivate yourself, or if you are having a lazy day right now.

Before you go, have you seen my survey? I need help to decide what content to add to this website. I want to help creative people like you when you struggle. To do that, I need to understand what your problems are, your greatest obstacles, and what attempts to fix them have failed before. So, if you can spare 5 minutes, I’d love to hear from you!

]]>https://theparttimeartist.com/how-to-motivate-yourself-when-you-feel-lazy/feed/0935Let’s Talk About the Book: What’s In It?https://theparttimeartist.com/lets-talk-about-the-book-whats-in-it/
https://theparttimeartist.com/lets-talk-about-the-book-whats-in-it/#respondTue, 16 Apr 2019 17:16:41 +0000https://theparttimeartist.com/?p=923The Part-Time Artist is a non fiction book that helps creative people find enough time, energy and determination to achieve their dreams.

]]>Today’s blog post is a little different than usual. It occurred to me that many of you might not really know what my book, The Part-Time Artist, is about. I have quite a long description on the book page, but I get that it’s a lot to read and might not be necessarily be appealing.

So I decided to film a video about it! I’m not a professional Youtuber (yet! lol) but I enjoy having the opportunity to speak to you in a more direct way. I hope you enjoy!

And for those who don’t want to / can’t watch the video, I wrote a summary below!

The Video

What Is the Book About?

The Part-Time Artist project started in September 2018. It started with my idea of helping other artists, especially the ones who have to deal with a day job and might be demotivated, or might not be able to do as much as they want.

It’s inspired by my experience. I’ve been a writer since I was 11 (that’s when I started writing my first novel). Since then, I’ve always combined being a writer with school first and then many different day jobs. During that time, I’ve gone through pretty much every struggle you can imagine. So I thought: why not talk about it? And the strategies I have developed to be able to continue writing, to achieve my projects, and to keep doing stuff even though I was busy with a full-time day job.

Different sections

Time management: how I managed to write pretty much every day.

Energy and motivation: if you are basically functioning on coffee, you might want to read this (even though I love coffee!)

Mental health: I have mentioned on the blog that I suffer from anxiety. I also talk about depression, imposter syndrome and not feeling good enough. I think we don’t talk enough about these struggles, especially in drama school or art school. It can be a daily reality for an artist, so I talk about what I did to be able to keep creating even though I had these thoughts.

Money: it’s a sore subject for artists, but very important!

Day job: I have had MANY different jobs over the years. And I was also a manager until recently, in a position that allowed me to hire other artists. So I can talk about the other side, from the point of view of someone who gave day jobs to artists.

Business: The Part-Time Artist has become my business. I talk about why I wanted to quit my job, what I’ve done before I quit my job and my business plan. It might be interesting for you if you are in the same situation and maybe wanting to quit your job too.

Being happy: that’s the most important! That’s the reason why we do our art in the first place.

Where to Find the Book?

The book is available in eBook and Paperback, on Amazon, Nook (Barnes and Noble) and Kobo:

Paperback version available on Amazon only!

I hope that this post brought some clarification on what the book is and why it could help you. If you have any question, let me know in the comments below!